The European Commission has introduced new strategies aimed at strengthening the EU’s preparedness for future health emergencies
The European Commission has introduced a comprehensive approach to strengthen the EU’s crisis preparedness strategy. These newly unveiled strategies aim to improve coordination, build resilience across member states, and lay the groundwork for more effective and timely responses. While the full scope of measures has yet to be unveiled, the initiative signals a clear commitment to enhancing health security across the Union.
New strategies to strengthen health security
The European Commission launches today two initiatives under its Preparedness Union agenda: an EU Stockpiling Strategy and a Medical Countermeasures Strategy. They are designed to improve access to essential goods for European citizens and societies, businesses and economies, whilst ensuring access to critical goods and lifesaving medical supplies at all times, such as during natural disasters and conflicts.
The EU Stockpiling Strategy is designed to secure essential goods, including food, water, oil, fuel, and medicines, in the event of a crisis. It is the first ever EU comprehensive approach to stockpiling.
Key actions in the Stockpiling Strategy include:
- Establishing an EU Stockpiling Network with Member States to share best practices, coordinate stocks, and develop joint recommendations.
- Identifying stock gaps and duplications through information sharing and strengthening cooperation among Member States and with the EU.
- Expanding EU-level stockpiles to fill gaps in essential goods, supported by initiatives like rescEU for medical gear, shelter, generators, and more.
- Enhancing transport and logistics for rapid crisis response.
- Promoting civil-military, public-private, and international partnerships to maximise resource use efficiently and on time.
The Medical Countermeasures strategy focuses on accelerating the development, production, deployment, and accessibility of lifesaving medical tools.
Key actions of the strategy include:
- Advancing next-generation flu vaccines, new antibiotics for antimicrobial resistance, antivirals for vector-borne diseases, and improving access to CBRN countermeasures.
- Boosting intelligence and surveillance by developing an EU list of priority medical countermeasures, preparedness roadmaps, and EU/global wastewater sentinel systems.
- Accelerating innovation via the Medical Countermeasures Accelerator, R&D hubs, and expanding the HERA Invest programme.
- Securing scalable production through EU FAB’s ever-warm capacity and the new RAMP UP partnership.
- Improving medicine access and deployment through joint procurement and support for ready-to-use labs.
- Strengthening global cooperation and cross-sector collaboration, including civil-military preparedness, public-private efforts, citizen readiness, and workforce investment.
Underlining the Urgency: The EU’s preparedness for crises
The two strategies form part of the key actions announced in the Preparedness Union Strategy, adopted in March 2025. They both build upon the Niinistö report’s recommendations. The Niinistö report, a comprehensive review of the EU’s preparedness for health emergencies, highlighted the need for a more coordinated and proactive approach. The EU-wide Stockpiling Strategy will integrate all existing sectoral stockpiling efforts, strengthen access to critical resources across the EU, and combine centralised EU-level reserves with Member States’ contributions, supported by public-private partnerships to ensure efficiency, scalability, and cost-effectiveness.
The Niinistö report highlighted the urgent need to reinforce the EU’s crisis preparedness for all hazard threats. To tackle this, the Medical Countermeasures Strategy aims to boost coordinated action both within the EU and at the global level, accelerating the development, production, and rapid deployment of lifesaving medical tools, including vaccines, therapeutics, diagnostics, and protective equipment. This will reinforce our collective resilience and ability to prepare and respond to health emergencies.
“Today, we launch the first two deliverables of our Preparedness Union Strategy. Our goal is clear – to protect people. Preparedness is a collective responsibility, and working with Member States, the EU can make a real difference. Whether facing natural disasters or biological threats, we must ensure essential goods remain available. A new network will help us better understand what we need to stockpile and how we can get better value for money. Health security is at the heart of our work. From new diseases to antibiotic resistance, we must be prepared with vaccines and medicines. These actions strengthen our strategic autonomy – by improving our reserves and production, we make ourselves less dependent for when it matters most,” commented Roxana Mînzatu, Executive Vice-President for Social Rights and Skills, Quality Jobs and Preparedness.
